5 Under 5 Interview with Abi Chambers

 

Tell me about yourself.
A: I have lived in Howick my whole life, which means I need to find things to keep me occupied in a place that has little exploring left to do. I love family board games, which are easy to set up with 5 children always in the house. I also like to go on adventures with my family, such as boating trips, hikes, and camping, though recently I’ve decided to replace a bit of time use with going to university to study conjoint Engineering/Design. I also dabble in a bit of painting.

 

 

How would you describe your creative process from concept to completion?
A: Methodical with a bit of mess. It starts with contemplation and taking photos. I think of how colour, light, subject matter, texture, and composition could work together in different ways to convey a part of my overarching idea. This involves messy sketches and thumbnails. I’ll paint the background first, this is where I like to add my messy textures that will show through. When it comes to painting the details, I’ll set myself up somewhere with an audiobook, good lighting, my references, and a WHOLE LOT of time.

 

Where do you find inspiration, and how do you handle creative blocks?
A: I take a step away and have fun. Go somewhere, have an experience. After that, if I let myself think of what I could paint. I got the first spark of the idea for this exhibition while driving home from a day at the beach. If that doesn’t work, I’ll paint something I would like on my wall until a more explorative mindset comes about.

 

What have you learnt about yourself through working on this exhibition?
A: From this exhibition, I’ve learnt that I’m a procrastinator. I even procrastinated on this…what’s meant to be a 5-minute interview. That aside, I learnt about the hard work that goes into even a small exhibition for a high schooler. The layout alone took us hours to decide on. There are all these small things that you don’t think about when viewing art. The curator has poured their soul into deciding the best lighting, height, arrangement, and using a laser to make sure the paintings are perfectly level. I’ve learnt an even deeper appreciation for the work that goes into making these things possible.

 

How do you see art influencing your future career?
A: I am honestly not sure. I’ve convinced myself that it’s beneficial for an engineer to have creativity, an eye for detail, and skill with visualisation, but as I move into the first weeks of uni, it’s starting to look like these two sides of me will always be so. Maybe I’ll find a way to merge these two contrasting paths in the future, but it’s so uncertain.